Posted on 29 Oct 2025

Across the Mekong, organized crime shapes daily life—from illegal casinos in the Golden Triangle and synthetic drug production in Vietnam, to human trafficking, cyber scams, and the looting of forests and wildlife.

Mekong Matters is a new podcast from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) featuring experts, investigators and local leaders who expose how criminal networks operate in their communities and across borders—and why their reach extends far beyond South East Asia.

In this series, we will be speaking on a diverse set of topics – from illegal casinos and laundering hubs – Synthetic drugs and cross-border drug trafficking – Human trafficking, forced scamming, and cyber-scam compounds – Corruption, shadow economies, and state capture – Money laundering and illicit finance – Wildlife trafficking, illegal rosewood logging, and environmental crime – Arms trafficking and smuggling routes – How crime impacts communities, healthcare, and governance.

Why it matters?

The Mekong region (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam) is a global hub for transnational organized crime. – These criminal economies affect public safety, development, stability, public health, and democracy—locally and worldwide.

This podcast series is for journalists, researchers, policymakers, civil society, and anyone tracking the Mekong, South East Asia, or global illicit economies. This podcast has been funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views expressed in this publication are the author’s alone and are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government.

Thailand is grappling with a wave of financial crimes linked to Buddhist temples—embezzlement, money laundering, misuse of donations, and blackmail scandals involving senior abbots. Despite public scandals, donations remain high and systemic issues persist. In this episode of Mekong Matters by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, Trang Nguyen speaks with legal scholar Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang about how structural loopholes, weak enforcement, low financial literacy, and deep cultural reverence for monks have enabled large-scale white-collar crime within the Thai Sangha.

We unpack: - The “Miss Golf” scandal and its connection to broader, systemic financial abuses - Why senior abbots appeared untouchable—and how cultural norms complicate accountability - The massive scale of temple wealth, from cash donations to land leases - Existing regulations vs. enforcement gaps (less than 10% compliance) - Practical reform steps: stronger accounting, electronic donations, cash limits, audits, and the role of the Sangha Council - Why police crackdowns miss the mark for complex, white-collar crimes—and why investigative journalism and forensic accounting matter.

🎙️ Hosted by Trang Nguyen

🎧 New episodes on the last Monday of every month.

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Chapters:

0:00 - Thai faith remains high despite scandals

0:36 - The “Miss Golf” case and wave of temple financial crimes

2:01 - Why this scandal is different: systemic links and scale

3:33 - Are senior abbots “untouchable”?

4:58 - Cultural reverence and immunity for monks

5:09 - What regulations exist for temple finances?

6:38 - Why enforcement fails: temple size and low financial literacy

8:16 - Monastic vs. civil property rules—and the abbot’s discretion

9:48 - Temple revenue streams: donations, rents, and no audit trail

10:36 - Real solutions: accounting standards, audits, journalism

11:56 - New measures: cash limits and e-donation trails

13:03 - Wrap-up

🎙️ Hosted by Trang Nguyen

Guest:

Dr. Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang — Specialist in Buddhism and constitutional law, focusing on governance, religious regulation, and the Thai Sangha.

Key takeaways:

This is a structural governance problem, not isolated misconduct. - Regulations exist on paper; enforcement and capacity are the weaknesses. - Transparent accounting, electronic payment trails, and independent oversight are essential. - Cultural deference to monks hinders scrutiny and accountability.

#Thailand #Buddhism #TempleScandal #FinancialCrime #Corruption #ThaiSangha #Governance #SoutheastAsia #MekongMatters #OrganizedCrime

Resources and links:

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime: https://globalinitiative.net

The Observatory of Illicit Economies in Asia-Pacific: https://globalinitiative.net/observatory/apa-obs/

Mekong Matters podcast page: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSX1Xu1kM0tpdNHXq-KOsVwPERwt_jOa

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This podcast has been funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views expressed in this publication are the author's alone and are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government.